Management planning for national parks, conservation parks and nature reserves in Western Australia: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Report
prepared for the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. Crawley, WA.

Moore, S.A. and Rodger, K.
(2009)
Management planning for national parks, conservation parks and nature reserves in Western Australia: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Report
prepared for the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. Crawley, WA.
Report prepared for the Conservation Commission of Western Australia, Crawley, WA.

Abstract

This report was prepared for the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. In Western Australia, the WA Department of Environment and Conservation prepares management plans for terrestrial conservation reserves for the Conservation Commission, who is responsible for their preparation and submission to the Minister for the Environment for approval (see CALM Act 1984 (WA) for details). This report is part of a broader review of management planning in WA commissioned by the Conservation Commission and undertaken by researchers at the School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University. The objective of this broader review was to: 1. Finalise the development of a framework for producing good quality management plans that relate to a regional planning area, are concise and can be implemented, and where the framework emphasises both the planning process and product.

This is the second of three reports prepared for the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. The first report reviewed management planning and plans in Australia, predominantly using web accessible material, as well as providing detailed insights into planning practices and products in Queensland, NSW and Victoria obtained through interviews with planning staff in those States. The intention of the first report was to learn from practice elsewhere and provide a platform for the remainder of the review.

This, the second report, analyses in detail the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to management planning, as well as exploring the opportunities and threats likely to be associated with the changed approach to management planning initiated late last year (2008) by the Conservation Commission. This changed approach requires plans that: (1) group reserves on a regional basis; (2) are concise; and (3) rely on precise, specific, achievable, realistic, time-related and measurable objectives and actions. The third report provides recommendations regarding management planning for terrestrial parks and reserves in Western Australia into the future.